Heart of Possibility
by Liarie
Summary: What could happen if Hiro was born a girl, basically. YamaHiro, even though it doesn't mean that MC will follow Yamato. Will have other pairings. Reviews are welcome. Be warned, I post things late. Also, there might be OOCness.
1. Chapter 1

Let me confess. I am a yaoi fangirl, but I'm also obsessed with genderbender. And because this has been flying around in my head, I want to write a Megaten genderbender fic.

Warning: Just a heads up. Yes, the character that will be genderbended is the main character. The pairing will be YamaHiro and I will (or try to) add some other pairings, as well. Since I'm not very good with character, there might be some (or a lot) OOCness going on. Also, the story will be similar to the play of the game.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

~HoP~

Springtime. What a wonderful time it was. The flowers woke up gently to the sun shining on them. The children played with their toys and scattered whenever an adult approached them. The air was chill, yet warmed a bit for every passing day. The only problem Chihiro Kageyama had with it is that she has her entrance exams. Luckily, she studied.

The bell rang, making the end of the morning exams. The girl stretched and gathered her things into her bag until the door opened. A brown-haired, wearing a yellow scarf and a gray school uniform, peaked into the room and spotted her.

Chihiro was easy to find. She was the only one that wore a white hoodie with bunny ears, a blue-and-white-striped turtleneck, denim miniskirt with a ruffled edge, and white thigh-highs and blue high-tops on her feet. Her long, black, wavy hair in twin ponytails, coupled with her light blue eyes made her more noticeable.

The brunette closed the door and walked towards her. He gave a big grin. The blue-eyed girl smiled back.

"Hi, Daichi," she said.

"Hey, Chihiro. Glad that's over," said the boy, "How'd you do on the exam?"

"Okay, I guess." The door opened again and a proctor appeared. He held an orange cell phone and a sheet of paper.

"Mr. Shijima, you left your cell phone and ticket on your desk," said the proctor.

"Crap, I forgot my stuff!" The girl softly giggled as the proctor lectured the brunette.

"_You should be more careful about your things."_

"_I'm sorry. This won't happen again."_ The boy smoothed back his hair and bowed. He came back with his phone and ticket in hand. "_God_, that was awful. My parents would've flipped if I'd lost them. Oh! I want to show you something that will blow your mind. Give me your cell phone."

The ponytailed girl took out her blue phone and handed it to the boy. He pressed in a few and handed it back to its owner. The girl checked the screen. Instead of seeing the usual background, she saw a black and blue backdrop and the word Nicaea written on the display. She turned and faced Daichi.

"What's Nicaea?" Chihiro asked.

"Nicaea is a website that delivers images of death. It shows you clips of friends and family dying. I just signed up last week. Your mind blown yet?"

"In a way." She entered the site and registered her information. Then two AI's, a chivalrous man in a suit and an energetic woman in a sexy bunny outfit walked onto the display. She chose the man and he became enlarged on the screen.

"Thank you for visiting Nicaea. I'm your curator, Tico," said the man. The AI's presense felt unreal. Stress must be getting to her. The scarf-wearing boy peaked over her shoulder.

"So you're going with him? Let me guess: your type of guy." The girl blushed and turned her head to hide it. "Aw, c'mon. No need to be embarassed."

"Daichi..." she warned.

"Ok, ok. Since we don't have any more tests today, let's go shopping."

"Sure, why not." The girl pocketed her phone and grabbed her bag. She followed Daichi out the door and into the hallway.

~HoP~

It was the middle of the day and the streets were swarmed with people. Daichi and Chihiro exited the shopping center.

"We bought a lot!" said Daichi. He laughed and the girl rolled her eyes.

"We sure did," the black-haired girl said.

"I'll have lots of fun wearing this shirt from Aberzombie. Oh! And I finally got my driver's license." The brunette pulled out the laminated card and showed it to her.

"Cool." The boy blushed a bit.

"I know, right? Can't wait to use it." They stepped into the entrance of the subway and made their way to the booth. The teens purchased their tickets and waited.

"He actually said that?"

"Yeah. I was really shocked when he mentioned it. It was a real bummer." Daichi sighed. "Well, can't let that get me done. Did you hear about that new game that was coming out?..."

"…Daichi?" The bunny girl looked at her friend. He was completely mesmerized as his eyes were slightly glazed over. She then followed his gaze to a girl in their school's uniform with brown, bobbed hair. And a huge rack. The train she walked off of left. She glanced at a pink cell phone in her hand, looked around and looked at the phone again. Her star blue eyes twinkled and the bunny-eared girl stepped in front of the male brunette. "She's kinda cute. Mind telling me who she is?"

"How can you not know?! That's Io Nitta, the most popular girl in our grade! She's cute, smart, nice, innocent, and gentle… Man, they don't make them like her anymore." He gazed at Io again with the same dreamy look.

"And what am I? What do you think of me, Daichi?" The girl inched closer to him. The boy stuttered and back up with a flush. He turned away from the wide staring blue orbs, the small, delicate nose and full lips of his childhood friend. He didn't want to talk her, not in a subway station with the brown-haired girl around.

"H-huh? W-well, uh, ahem. Urm, you're a pretty cute girl yourself a-and…" Chihiro giggled as the boy tried to justify himself.

Meters away, Io looked up from her phone once again and spotted a boy wearing her school's uniform and a girl who wore a white hoodie with what looked like rabbit ears coming from it. They appeared rather close and friendly with each other. Dating, maybe? The brunette stood, and then decided to go up to the two teens.

"I'm just teasing you, Daichi. I know I can't compare to Io. I'm not _that_ much to look at," said Chihiro. She placed her hands on her hips and laughed at the blushing brunette.

"Uhh, yeah, not much," said Daichi. He gulped as his brown pupils stared at his friend's body, from the small yet well-rounded chest to the slender waist and the curved hips, and the long, slim legs. Okay, he lied. The ponytailed girl possessed a great body, even if it's not as filled out as their institute's most popular girl.

"Um, excuse me," said a docile voice.

"Can't you see I'm…fantasizing…" The scarf-wearing boy lost his train of thought when he realized who he was talking to. In front of them was their school's it girl, Io Nitta.

"O-oh. I'm sorry. You were just wearing my school's outfit and I thought you came here for the exams."

"Yeah. Yeah, we are! We just got back from the morning exams, actually. They're doing the afternoon exams soon, too." The teenaged boy smoothed his hair back and chuckled nervously. Now, he has two super cute girls in his company. Must be his lucky day!

"Thanks…"

"Ah! Daichi, Daichi Shijima. And this girl here is-"

"You already know who I am." Daichi stared at his friend, shocked.

"What- No, she doesn't! I'm sorry. She doesn't know what she's talking about." The boy bowed low. Io turned to Chihiro and smiled.

"I heard of you. You're Chihiro Kageyama, right?" Daichi looked up at the bob haired girl, wide eyed.

"Told you so."

"Oh, be quiet." The girls laughed as the boy blushed and shoved his hands into his pockets. Then, the trio heard their phones go off then. "Ah! What the hell?!"

"Huh?" They drew out their devices. On the screen was a message from Nicaea. A clip, to be exact. They looked at each other.

"Oh, my god. Didn't expect it to be today." They all opened the video at once. The hoodie wearing girl suddenly felt sick, like something horrible washed over her. She tried concentrating on the clip, but was distracted as Io mumbled to herself.

"This is creepy. Will this really happen?" Chihiro inched closer to the brunette and peaked over her shoulder. The clip viewed images of the train and the patrons, including her. The bob haired turned to her. Her face was white.

"What the heck!? I thought the videos were supposed to be all glitchy! Look, Chihiro! There's you!" The black-haired girl replayed the clip. Indeed, it was her, crushed under the weight of the train.

"I think you're in it, too, Daichi." Io viewed the clip to the boy. In the mini film, his body laid close to the wreckage, unmoving.

"This has to be a prank. The train's almost here, anyway." The three teens stood as the locomotive neared the station. Suddenly, the environment shook. Many of the patrons were knocked off their feet. The concrete cracked and few ran for their lives.

"_Run!_"

"Craaaaaaaaaap, the train!" The teens didn't get far as they stumbled to the ground.

The train came and hit a loose railing. Part of it was pushed up and held in the air as the three watched. Chihiro felt the blood drain from her face. She wanted to move, but she sat, paralyzed. The train tipped over and fell onto the teens. The black-haired girl's life flashed before her eyes seconds before the vehicle took her life.

~HoP~

And there you have it. The chapter. Boom. I hope you like it. Reviews are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea for this story. Maybe. I don't know, but don't sue me.

~HoP~

Darkness. It was overwhelming. She couldn't think. She couldn't feel. She was dead. Then, her phone, which lay next to her, lit up.

"It seems that your life will wane at this moment. The choice to extend it is yours. Do you wish to perish?" someone asked. It was Tico. Chihiro felt the weight of everything then. The girl's will spoke for her.

"No way!" she said. The girl finally woke up. She was still in the subway station. The pain of various bones scattered didn't come, like it was supposed to. The black-haired girl surveyed the surroundings as she sat up. Everything she expected was there. However, the train was nowhere near her body.

A little red creature with what looked like a braid held the heavy machinery up from crushing her and her friends.

"Ow. What was that?" said Daichi. He turned, rubbing his head and saw Chihiro. "Hey, Chihiro. Are you alri-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

He spotted the imp and shuffled backwards, away from it. Io woke up, trying to figure what occurred.

"Mm. Huh?" The bobbed-haired girl looked at the train. She saw the red thing for a split second and quickly scurried behind Chihiro with a loud scream. The blue-eyed teen could feel the other girl shivering at her back.

The little imp-thing then pushed the train. The vehicle crimpled and broke the wall it fell on.

"Jeez, that thing was heavy!" it said. It turned around to face the teens. It had suction cups on its palms, elbows, fingertips and stomach. It appeared very giddy.

A sense of dread washed over the small group. The three teenagers got up and ran toward the stairs. However, two beings, one that looked like a small and blue marshmallow kid and the other that was definitely a fairy, appeared in front of them, blocking the only exit they had. Chihiro peaked over her shoulder and saw the red creature running towards them.

'_What the hell?! Why is this happening?' _thought the girl.

"Hey! Don't run! I'm supposed to kill you!" said the red imp. The situation couldn't get any worse. They couldn't possibly live unless…

"We have to fight!" Daichi's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Io's face was even paler.

"Are you insane?! They'll rip us to shreds!" screamed the scarf-wearing boy.

"It's the _only_ way to survive this, Daichi! There's no other way." Then, a sudden _Demon Summoning Program loading_ came from Chihiro's skirt pocket. She dug her hand in and whipped out her phone. On the screen was Tico.

"Hello again, Lady Chihiro," the AI said with a bow. The boy grabbed his friend's hand. He yanked it towards him.

"Tico, you better have a good explanation about all this!" Before he could receive a response, a ball of electricity hit the ground and nearly grazed his foot.

"It's not nice to ignore someone when they're trying to kill you," said the tiny fairy woman. She threw another one at them, but this time, it separated Io from the two.

"IO!" Chihiro and Daichi couldn't reach their schoolmate as the imp and the puffy thing blocked their way. The fairy flew fast at the brown-haired girl. She raised and crossed her arms in front. The winged woman clawed her. The sleeves were cut up and blood spilled from the wound. The hit caused the girl to fall. Behind and on both sides of her were risen and crumbled concrete from the ground and the ceiling.

Anger and instinct took over the black-haired. She maneuvered past the creatures and backhanded the blue creature that tried to close in on her. Then she swiftly kicked the pixie. It slammed against the wall with a grunt.

"Here." The bunny-hooded girl stretched her hand out to Io and helped her to her feet.

"Chihiro, how can you forget about me like that?!" The two girls turned and saw that Daichi was cornered by the imp and the blue puff. The red creature then grabbed his leg and bit it. The boy cried out, and then kicked the damned thing away from him. His leg bled, but not as much as he expected.

"Hey, you! Get ready to get your lights knocked out!" said the blue thing. It completely ignored the brown-haired boy and charged at the girls. Daichi noticed this and looked behind him to search for an object he could swing with. He found a metal rod protruding from the rubble, grasped it and dislodged it. Once it was free, he spun around and swung at the tiny blue being. It made contact with the blue creature.

"Okay, okay! You win! We won't attack anymore!" it said. The red imp and the fairy nodded in agreement with it and made their way to the group.

"I'm Pixie. That," it pointed at the blue thing, "is Poltergeist, and that," pointed at the red imp, "is Obariyon. Don't you dare waste us," said Pixie. It scowled and crossed its arms as it disappeared.

"Looks like we're going with you. I always wanted to know what it's like being contracted to someone," said Poltergeist, disappearing.

"Awwwww! But I wanted freedom! You owe me!" said Obariyon. It vanished like the other two creatures.

The three teens looked at each other. They all could've looked worse.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaan, what was that?!" said Daichi.

"Calm down," said Chihiro.

"Don't tell me to calm down! How can I calm down after what we've been through!?" The black-haired girl grabbed his shoulders and twisted him to face her.

"Yelling won't solve anything nor will it change anything, Daichi." He quickly shrugged her hands off.

"Don't touch me!"

"Daichi!"

"Um, guys?" said Io. The yellow scarf boy and the white hoodie girl stopped their squabble and turned to the bob haired girl. She lifted a shaky finger and their eyes followed to where it pointed. Chihiro's heart had stopped at that moment. She and her friends were lucky to avoid the blade of Death, but the other people with them in the platform weren't so fortunate.

Blood poured from the broken figures and mingled with the dust underneath the bodies. Broken glass was where a woman's torso hung through a window of the train. A head laid on a small pool of blood and nothing else.

"Oh, my god," breathed Daichi. The black-haired girl stared at the scene and her mind could not process. Her eyes stung, but she refused to let one tear fall. She finally turned her head away from the horrific sight and started heading for the stairs.

"Let's go to on the surface. It's not safe here," the blue-eyed said. Io hesitated, then tore her eyes away and followed the other girl. The boy looked at the girls, then the wreckage, then ran after them.

~HoP~

When the group arrived to the top, they saw crowds of people. The buildings were falling apart and wires were exposed. Some of the structures were on fire.

"What the hell's going on?! The city's in shambles! Is all this really caused by an earthquake?!" said Daichi.

"This is horrible," said Io.

The people gathered, and then the noise level softened as a news anchor delivered their report.

_Just recently, a region-wide calamity struck at 1:00 pm. No specified detail was found and major casualties have been reported. I repeat-_

The volumes of the survivors elevated as the news tuned off unexpectedly. The three teens heard complaints from those nearest to them.

Daichi's head felt heavy and his legs were close to giving out. Io paled and her eyes were moist. Chihiro heard her blood rushing in her ears and nothing else at that moment. The black-haired girl lowered her head. Then, she noticed something red. She looked harder and saw that the red was the blood streaming from her friend's calf.

"Daichi…your leg..." said the bunny-hooded girl. The boy looked at her, and then peeked at his legs.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Look, it's no biggie, really. Yeah, it's hurt, but hey. Battle scars," said Daichi. That reply didn't make her feel better. She shook her head.

"No. No, it isn't. Let's go find a bench for you to rest on." Chihiro turned to Io and saw blood leaking from her sleeve. "And fast, too. Come on."

The three students wandered around the flooded street. They were pushed, shoved and separated a few times, but they managed to find an unoccupied bench. The blue-eyed girl sat the two injured down, and ran off to search for disinfectants and bandages.

Io and Daichi sat there, facing different directions. The brown-haired girl had no idea how to approach the subject of him and Chihiro. The brown-haired boy's mouth went dry and couldn't come up with a conversation starter because about a foot away from him was The Io Nitta. The boy tilted his head in her direction, and then turned away as she looked at him. The bob haired examined her and noticed that the crimson fluid stopped flowing.

"Sooo…" said Daichi. He paused for a moment. He looked at his feet as he realized he had nothing to talk about.

"Um… I know this is personal, but…" Io started.

"Yeah?" The girl turned and faced the other brunette.

"Are you and Chihiro dating?" If this was a cartoon, the boy's eyes would've popped out their sockets. The girl raised her hands automatically. "! I'm sorry. Since you two were so close, I just thought-"

"No, no! It's perfectly fine! Although, you're the first one to assume that." Daichi could feel his face burning.

"So you're just friends?"

"Yeah. Pretty good friends, at that."

"I see. Though, thinking about it now, you don't look like the type of guy she'd go out with."

"You could say that again."

"Has she dated anyone?"

"Uh. No, not really."

"Really? She's really pretty, though. You would've thought she was taken."

"Yeah. No. I think she's a bit picky with guys. Of all the years I've known Chihiro, not once have I seen a guy that she was into."

"Quite an interesting conversation you two are having. Mind letting me in?" The two brunettes nearly jumped out of their seats as they looked up at the topic of their chat. She stood with a semi-amused, semi-curious look. In her hand was a small plastic bag. The black-haired girl held it up. "I managed to find disinfectant. No bandages, though."

"Well, do you have anything that can be you as bandages?"

"I'll have to improvise, but yes. Now roll up that sleeve and that pants leg." The brunettes did as they were told.

Chihiro pulled out a small box of squares soaked with rubbing alcohol and took two packs. She tore them open and wiped up the dried blood from Daichi and Io's wounds. She then stood up and unbuttoned her hoodie. Daichi's eyes grew large and his face reddened.

"Wah, w-w-w-whatareyoudoing?" The girl rolled her eyes and continued 'til the last button. She grabbed the end of her turtleneck, tore off two strips and wrapped them around her schoolmates' injuries.

"There. Better?" Io glanced at her arm, then at the other girl.

"But, your shirt…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll live." The bob haired girl sat there for a few moments until she realized something. She dug through her bag and took out her phone.

"There's no signal!"

"What?!" The other two pulled out their phone and the screen told the startling truth. The scarf wearing boy shifted through his menu and found a peculiar item.

"What the hell is this?! Demon Summoning app?" He pressed a couple of keys. "I can't take it off!"

Chihiro skimmed through the menu and found the Summoning app. She tried to delete it, but it stayed where it was and won't be going away anytime soon. Io bolted up, which startled the other two, and ran off.

"Wha-" The girl came back sadder.

"I asked a cab driver if I could use his radio. There was no signal at all."

"I don't know anymore…" Daichi rested his elbows on his thighs and coved his face with his hands. Chihiro glanced at her companions. Then, she looked at her phone and noticed that someone sent two messages. Before they could be read, footsteps came up from behind.

"Excuse me. You came from the subway platform, right? Can I take a look at your cellphones?" The three teens glimpsed at a dark blue-haired woman that was near them. She wore a black and yellow uniform with white boots. She had a stern expression on her face.

"Why do you need them?" asked the bunny-hooded girl. The scarf-wearing boy stood up and stepped toward the girl.

"_Hey! I don't think it's a good idea! We should run!"_ he whispered. She turned to him and raised a brow.

"Excuse me." The woman started walking toward them. The sudden moment freaked the boy.

"C'mon!" He grabbed both Io and Chihiro's wrists and dragged them as them ran from the supposed officer (from what they could tell from her outfit).

After a few minutes later, they reached Shibuya 901. The male brunette released the girls and dropped to the ground. The three students rested there until they could breathe easily again.

"Ok. Honestly, I don't understand why we have to run like that," said the blue-eyed girl

"It's just a feeling I got," he said.

"Yeah. I don't know why, but she seemed really intimidating," said Io.

"I'm just glad we got out of there." Chihiro peeked at the time.

"We should really get home."

"Oh, yes, we should." The boy stood and brushed off the dirt. "Where do you live? Chihiro and I live in the same neighborhood, so we'll be walking in the same direction."

"My home's in Ariake."

"It's that far?!"

"I could always walk there, but truth be told, I never went on foot before."

"Then, we're going with you."

"She's right. It's too dangerous to go alone." Daichi looked at the rubble and fallen buildings around them. "Eh… Which way is Ariake?"

"There," said Chihiro, pointing east.

"Uh huh, that's right."

"Then, this is a great time to put my walking exercise to good use."

"Ok. But, don't strain yourself," said the white-hooded girl.

~HoP~

The three students made it to Roppongi and already, Daichi was more than exhausted. His wounded calf didn't make the small journey any better. They stopped and the boy collapsed to the concrete and panted loudly.

"My legs are burning!" he said.

"I have a bottle of water," said Io. She search through her bag and pulled out a plastic bottle that was half empty. She handed it to the male. "It's used, though. I hope that's not a problem."

"I can have this? Really?" He held it and his face lit up.

"Good for you," said Chihiro. She gave the scarf-wearing boy a big smile.

"You know? It's good to be alive."

The group heard chatter. It became louder and they saw a group of four. Two men, a woman and a child.

"We finally made it!"

"I thought we never get out of there."

"How long will this go on?!"

"I want to go home. Why can't we go home?"

The four strangers talked some more. Daichi noticed something colorful falling from the sky. It dropped in the middle of the cluster of strangers. The unidentified object had a rainbow cone and a pink, round top. It resembled ice cream.

Instantaneously, their cell phone alerted them. On the display was the Demon Summoning app, viewing the unusual being. Next to it was a list of "skills" and above that was the word Dubhe.

"Holy shit!" The pink top grew bigger.

"What is this?" It grew even bigger and started pulsing.

"It doesn't look dangerous." At that point, the round thing got so huge they were all surprised that the cone didn't snap under its weight. One of the men reached out.

"Don't touch it!" said Chihiro. She didn't know what possessed her to say it. The sudden outburst shook the random group.

"Dammit, don't scare me like that, kid!" Just then, the object exploded. The four people around were reduced to ashes. The area received burns from the unexpected detonation. The pink object came back and the thing moved closer the teens.

"Oh, crap!"

"Move it!"

At the last minute of their escape, it discharged.

~HoP~

There. Finally done. What a bad cliff hanger.


	3. Chapter 3

I will tell you now that I am currently replaying DeSu2. I am ahead a bit in the story than the game. The reason why is because I can't remember for the life of me. I don't mean dialogue, but the "happenings" and the specific places, like Shiba Park and the Diet Building. Those two, I remember quite well.

Warning: Some irrelevance in this chapter. Watch out.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, more or less.

~HoP~

Everything around her was a blur as Chihiro sprinted. She was short of breathe and her legs screamed at her to stop. But, she didn't care about stopping. She just wanted to lose Death that was far away in Roppongi.

The girl's foot got caught on a creak in the sidewalk and she fell. The rough surface scraped her chin and palms, and blood trickled from the scratched up skin.

The bunny-hooded girl laid there for a moment. Then, moisure built up more and more as the numerous losses got to her. The people in the station, the four innocents at Roppongi, and God knew how much more were dead. She hoped her parents weren't on the list of corpses, though she knew it was unlikely. That thought made her sob more.

Chihiro blinked away the tears and slowly picked herself up. She opened her bag and grabbed a disinfectant pack. She gingerly mopped the red fluid up, but didn't make any dressings from her shirt.

The lone girl cleaned the tears and realized Io and Daichi weren't with her. She panicked as she thought of them disintegrated from the blast.

_No!_ she thought. _I can't think like that. They're not dead!_

The teen raised and studied her surroundings. All around her were cracked stores and closed down shops.

_Which way did they go? They can't be too far,_ she thought. She walked as she called out to her schoolmates.

~HoP~

Io slumped against a tree and cried. She couldn't believe how the day went. She left her house midday after she accidently slept in, and used the train as always. She was even going to call a friend to check if the entrance exams were still given out. The brunette didn't at all expect to find monsters on every turns.

The girl sat there and let the waterworks run with her head lowered. At one moment, someone yelled out "Io". Her brain must've been truly stressed. The voice sounded like Chihiro. It came again. And again. The brunette slapped her hands over her ears and cried harder. Then, heavy and rushed footsteps came into hearing, and came closer to her. It stopped. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shook, hard.

"Io! Look at me!" Said girl lifted her head and met a pair of sparkly and corcerned blue orbs. They were Chihiro's. The brunette wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"Chihiro! I thought, I thought I'd never see you again!" sobbed Io. The black-haired held the brunette as she continued to sob for a good 10 minutes. They released each other and Chihiro dug out her handkerchief and cleaned up the tears. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome. Stay strong."

"I just…can't believe that happened. What was that?"

"You mean that monster at Roppongi?"

"Yeah. That app called it Dubhe. Is that its name?"

"I think so."

"I'm worried." The brunette noticed that the conversation was somewhat quieter. She glanced around. "Wait. Where's Daichi?"

"Huh?" Chihiro examined the surrounding buildings and people. "I thought he was with you."

_Be-beep. _The black-haired girl's phone alerted them of a message. It was sent from Nicaea.

"Is it a death clip?"

The mini video loaded. On the display, Daichi rested at a shrine until a pale woman in a white kimono showed up with furry beastmen beside her. The yellow scarf boy tried to make a break for it, but was frozen on the spot, and then his body shattered. Io paled and appeared a little green. Chihiro's hold tightened as the scene unfolded.

"Oh, god," muttered Chihiro.

"Um... I was wondering about the death clip. Since these are only to friends and family to the victim, wouldn't Daichi won't see his own death?" asked Io. The other girl's eyes enlarged at the thought.

"You're right. But if this is like the platform incident, this can be avoided." Io nodded in agreement.

"Sensouji temple isn't too far from here."

"Let's go. We can't keep him waiting."

~HoP~

Daichi doubled over on the staircase with his palms resting on his knees. He was completely out of breath and he felt like his wound re-opened. The boy could feel the fluid soaking through the made-shift bandage and trickling down his calf. He climbed the steps until he reached the top. The temple ahead was red, like always. But because of the situation, the feel of it was unsettling.

The first time he and his best friend, Chihiro, visited this place was on November 15th for Shichigosan, when they were both three years old. They couldn't remember much. Though, the latter often joked about marrying him as a promise from that day.

The brunette parked himself on the stairs and viewed the destruction and smoke before him. Right now, his two female companions were in there. They might try to find some sort of housing, but discover that all the shelters were full. The girls might run into demons and could bleed to death after combat if those monsters didn't kill them. Or worse, they might meet guys that ensure their safety, but end up being targets of molestation, maybe rape. There's no way for him to protect them from that danger. He quickly shook his head.

"Dammit, I can't think like that," said Daichi. He ruffled his hair and lay on the chipped, tiled ground with his fore arms covering his eyes. "What would Chihiro say if she knew what I was thinking?"

The lone youth stayed in that position for some time. His injured calf was numb. After a while, someone was calling out to him. Whoever they were, they sounded similar to Chihiro. Too similar. Daichi sighed heavily and removed his arms. Just as he raised himself off the ground, something wrapped around his neck and slammed him back down.

"What th-" In his line of vision was Chihiro with her face buried in his shirt.

"Daichi!" Said boy saw Io standing close by and slightly panting. The black-haired girl detached from him and gave a concerned look.

"We're so glad you're safe," said Io.

"Why, did I miss something?" he asked. The girl stood and helped the other up.

"I hope so, and we really need to go-"

_Be-beep._ They all received a new message from the death images site.

"What do they want now?" The text was titled Attention: Summoners. On the message itself were very brief details of contracts and the Demon Summoning App.

"This must be what those things were talking about!"

"This can really help us survive now," said Chihiro.

"Oh. You mean when we run into demons? That'll definitely help."

"Yeah. But I don't think they'll assist us if we beat them."

"That seems to be the case. Who's sending them, though?" The only guy in the group looked at both of his companions.

"I need a break!" said Daichi. He limped over to the monument.

"We'll get one once we leave."

"I don't see why we can stay here." He leaned on the tall stone. The ground shook, and the slab sank into the ground. "Wah…!"

A gold mechanism instituted in the monument's place. The three teens crowded around it.

"What is it?"

"I have no idea." One of them reached out. Then, something surged out of it, cracked the tiled floor, and collided with the lantern.

"Ok, somebody explain that!" A burst of light blinded them, than a strange woman in a white kimono materialized.

"It's the same demon in your death clip!" said Io.

"What?!"

"Thank you for freeing me. I am Bai Suzhen," it said with a slight bow. "The reward for breaking my seal shall be… death!"

Multiple demons appeared. The woman in white blasted a wave of ice at the trio. The powerful torrent caused them to collapse. The icy demon hovered closer to the three students. Chihiro shut her eyes, Io hid behind her, and Daichi's arms flew up as it was about to attack them. It stopped as a flurry of fire soared past her and into a pillar.

"I'm too late! The seal's already broken!" Said kids uncovered their eyes and saw the woman they ran from earlier.

"How dare you stand in my way, wretch!" said Bai Suzhen. The uniformed woman took out a yellow cell phone and summoned Bilwis. Daichi scrambled to his feet along with his female companions.

"Y-you gotta he-help us! Please!" he said. The adult faced them with a furious look gracing her features.

"Help you? You help me! You're demon tamers, aren't you?!" The boy was taken aback by the comment. His best friend dug through her bag and pulled out her phone.

"Use the summoning app!" The bob-haired girl was shaken a bit by the turn of events. She managed to grab her device without it fumbling to the ground. The hand holding it shook and trembled as the girl confronted the monsters surrounding them. The male stared at the girls, wide-eyed.

"You can't be serious…"

"Daichi!"

"Ok, ok! Sheesh…" He whipped out her orange flip phone. The Demon Summoning App was automated; it took up the screen when the handsets were flipped open. On their phones, Tico greeted them (though, Tico on Daichi's was female).

"I'm glad that you're safe and sound, Ladies Chihiro and Io," said male Tico.

"We thought you're a goner for sure. You must be made of iron, Master Daichi!" said female Tico.

"A tutorial is made to assist you with how to use to Demon Summoning Application. Would you like to view it?"

"Please do, because we obviously know nothing about this," said Daichi.

"Alrighty! See this li'l menu here? It'll come up before every battle! Open the 'Edit Team'. Here, you can cruise through the skills and demon selection!"

"I recommend using the demons you have contracted with prior to this incident. Select the skills that are provided for your survival. HaVE a Nic3 dVy." The three teenagers glanced at each other.

"This has to be a joke-"

"We have to do this." Chihiro keyed in a demon ally and skill into her skill slots. After all of it was set, Obariyon appeared. "You guys better do it quick if you wanna live."

"Hey, it's you again! And you have more friends! This'll be fun!" it said, hopping.

"I think you're enjoying waaaaay too much, Chihiro."

"But she has a point. If we want to see tomorrow, we have to use demons," said Io. She inputted the necessities and Pixie appeared next to her.

"You need to get rid of the weaker ones first. I'll help as much as I can," said the woman. The three females darted off in different directions, and left the boy alone. They already took down at least four demons as the scarf wearing youth summoned Poltergeist.

"They have more balls than I do…" he said after the blue ghost materialized and followed suit.

It wasn't long before that the weaker demons were defeated. The difficult part was Bai Suzhen. She was a higher level creature, not to mention that she's ice cold, too.

"I'm surprised such feeble beings could defeat more superior organisms. However, it wouldn't be much fun to slaughter those who wouldn't fight back." Her beautiful smile grew into a gruesome smirk with her teeth sharp and vicious-looking. The demon dashed toward them.

The humans, being more prepared, moved away before the icy dragon could try to tear a limb out. Bai Suzhen turned, and rushed toward Daichi. She stopped as she felt a fierce and intense burning in her legs. The white demon spun around and saw Chihiro with a small device facing her. The little imp seemed to mock the dragon woman.

"How dare you, you insignificant little wench?!" she shrieked. Then, she sent a small but powerful blizzard at the girl. The force threw her back hard against a pillar and she flopped onto her stomach. Io rushed to her side. The demon shot ice at her feet and the female brunette crashed.

"Io!" Chihiro pushed herself up, crawled over to the other girl and helped her sit up.

Daichi was able to run over to his companions, until Bai Suzhen turned around. She grasped his neck and squeezed until the male gasped and struggled for air.

"Daichi!" yelled the girls.

"Such a frail creature. I'll end your short, trivial existence for you." The white woman raised an arm. The nails on it tapered and grew into points.

Before the demon could plunge it into his torso, Poltergeist tackled Bai Suzhen in the stomach. She released instantly. Obariyon slipped by and punched her. Both Pixie and Bilwis tossed a ball of electricity and it singed her arm. She tumbled back, and then was kicked by the uniformed woman. She tumbled forward, but still remained on her feet. Her face was one of utter rage.

"I will not be defeated so easily!" At her words, a small icy storm knocked the humans and demons down.

"Bitch, just die," said Chihiro. She sprinted toward the ice dragon. The demon intercepted her, but suffered an _agi_ to the mid-drift. The bunny-hooded girl stepped back and hurled a ball of flames. The white demon was burned.

"N-no…This cannot happen…" Bai Suzhen collapsed to her knees and light consumed her. The two brunettes sauntered over to their schoolmate. The girl grimaced and muttered about a twisted ankle.

"Is it over? Tell me it's over." The girls nodded, and the boy exhaled. "Thank _god_, it's over."

"Yeah. We're glad that we're able to get to you before that demon could get you," said Io. The male gave a quizzical look. Chihiro explained to her friend what would happen if they didn't find him. The more she said, the paler he became.

"You're still alive and that's good enough," said the blue-haired woman.

"Thank you for helping us. I'm Io. This is Chihiro and that's Daichi." They bowed. "Don you mind telling us your name?"

"Of course. Where are my manners? I'm Makoto Sato. And as you can see, I'm also a demon tamer. But I use a different program. I'm sorry that you're dragged into all of this." The woman in uniform walked over to the mysterious device and typed in a couple of keys on her phone. The machine glow and the lantern and the small monument materialized, appearing as though they have always been.

"Shit! I don't think demons would kill me anymore…," the scarf-wearing boy said under his breath.

The adult heard muttering and saw the three teenagers from the corner of her eyes conversing. She noted that two of them were subservient compared to the girl with ponytails. Why would that be? The talk between them was low. She could still a snippet.

"_When will this be over?"_

"_I'm worried. I noticed that aren't any helicopters."_

"_Maybe they couldn't. From what happened so far, I'm not too surprised."_

"…_Why don't we go find a shelter?"_

"I advise against going to Shiba Park." They all turned to Makoto.

"Why not? Why can't we?" asked Daichi.

"…It's because of that thing at Roppongi, isn't it?" said the wavy-haired girl.

"Yes. You're very sharp. It's became a hazardous area due to Dubhe's explosions. So for your safety, avoid that area. Please."

"Well then, sick the SDF on that thing! Bombs, guns, whatever!"

"It's not as easy as you think."

"Really? Did you try the military?" asked Io.

"We tried everything. We set fuses. Brought out cannons. Utilized metal-piercing guns. Even used traps. Nothing. Not even a dent. Not until we used demons. We chased it, but unfortunately, it got away. So right now, it's under lockdown until further notice." The blue-haired woman then turned to Io. "You said you might've injured your ankle. May I see it?"

Said girl swallowed, and limped her way to Makoto. She sat near the slab of stone as the latter poked and squeezed certain regions.

"No broken bones, but you sustained a sprain. I'll get fixed up." The woman stood and helped the girl up. Then, she glanced at the other two. "Follow me."

~HoP~

That took forever! I'm sorry! Enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for taking sooooooo long on this chapter. I have IB stuff and was distracted. I'm behind on a few things. Also, I'm trying finish up "chapter 0" of the game. …Plus, my 't' button isn't working as well I want it to.

Yes, Yamato will be in this chapter, but this is the second time I'm writing him. It might not be good. Pray that I did him justice. I will also try to put in Miyako, but don't get too excited.

Disclaimer: I don't own Devil Survivor.

~HoP~

Chihiro, Io and Daichi could only stare. The group stood in front of a huge, white building. Its appearance was modern with a European twist to it. It had a large fountain and flags.

"Here we are," said Makoto. The teens turned to her, surprised.

"But, this is the Diet building! You actually work for the government?" said the boy.

"Of course. Now, let's get inside."

They climbed the long steps and entered the automatic doors. The interior was luxurious, as expected. The carpet was a lush red. The exotic plants were bright. The high ceilings and walls were made of marble and lined with gold. The receptionist's desk looked like it was made of rich, cherry wood. However, there were no people.

Makoto walked down the lobby and turned left toward the elevators. She peaked over her shoulder and saw no one behind her. She looked around the corner and saw that the teens were still gaping at their surroundings.

"Come right this way, you three."

They stopped staring moved over to the elevator. They muttered their apologies to her. The woman led in the metal box and pressed "JP".

"But, still, this place is amazing," said the black-haired girl as the elevator started it's descend. Io nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you like it," said Makoto.

Daichi gazed closely at the panel. He observed the display above the doors as the numbers changed. Then, he said, "Where are we going, exactly?"

"You'll see."

The elevator slowed to a stop. The display read JP's and the doors slid open. Daichi's jaw dropped and Chihiro and Io's eyes widened. The room was vast and most of it was gold with a design of clockworks. A clock loomed over a wide entrance. Gears stuck out from the edges. People in yellow and black uniforms passed by them as they piled out of the elevator.

"Whoa." Daichi glanced at the bustling workers (at least, he assumed they're workers) and noticed the same logo on their uniforms. He leaned over to Chihiro. "Hey, how do you say that?"

"'Jips', I think," she said.

"You're correct, Miss Kageyama," said the blue-haired woman. "It's pronounced 'Jips'. JP's is a private organization. Not too many know of this organization-"

"And it should stay that way, Sako." The woman stiffened. She spun around and bowed low. Chihiro, Daichi, and Io looked ahead and noticed a young individual walking towards them.

He was tall and slender, which made him apposing. His complexion was pale, as well as his hair and eyes. They were more evident due to his black attire. His cheek bones were sharp, and his eyes slanted and cat-like. Yet, his face was soft with a touch of adolescence. His appearance was almost adult-like despite his youthfulness.

The black-haired girl couldn't help but stare.

"Chief, I can explain-"

The youth held up his hand. He analyzed the three teens. They were high schoolers, he could tell that much. They were a bit older than him, as well. The two brunettes have a sense of juvenile. The male seemed spineless and more of a boy than a man. The female, however angelic-looking and mature she might be, seemed naive and doesn't stand out.

The last one, though… She was average, yet seemed unusual. There was something about the black-haired girl, something he couldn't pinpoint. His eyes lingered on Chihiro much longer than the rest. The girl squirmed a little with her face feeling warmer than usual.

The youth turned to Makoto and said, "Debrief them and send them home." He turned and walked off.

The woman bowed at the retreating figure. "Yes, sir…"

"What an ass! Like, seriously, who the hell does he think he is?" said Daichi.

Io let out a shaky breath and said to Makoto, "Who was that?"

"That was Yamato Hotsuin. His family has led this organization for generations. He's the current chief of JP's."

"'Chief'? He's can't be that much older than us! How the hell did he become 'chief'?"

"I can't disclose that kind of information."

Daichi continued to bad-mouth Yamato. Makoto cut him off and lectured him. Io thought about speaking up, but closed her mouth. She glanced at Chihiro and saw the black–haired girl was fixated on something.

"Chihiro? What's wrong? You've been awfully quiet the whole time," said Io.

The girl blinked and noticed her friends staring at her. She shook her head, and said, "I'm fine. Really. I'm just tired."

Io nod at this. Makoto still looked concerned, but left it be and asked the teenagers to follow her. Daichi, however, stared suspiciously at the girl.

~HoP~

The group passed by several workers who greeted them, and moved through the seemingly never-ending corridors. The rooms in the corridors were empty. They settled into one, with Io on the bed, and Chihiro and Daichi standing close by. Makoto left and returned with a first-aid kit.

"We don't have an actual doctor on staff right now, so this will have to do," the woman said. She set the kit down, and dug out a roll of bandages.

"It's okay. It's nothing, really," said Io as the blue-haired female wrapped her ankle. She winced as the tinges on pain rolled up her leg.

"Hm. Glad to hear it." Makoto finished up and stood. "There. That should be better, now if you'll excuse me, I have a report to turn in." With a nod in their direction and a simple 'stay put', she walked out.

The room fell for a moment. Then, Daichi flopped onto the bed with a huge sigh. "Thank God… Pressure's off…" He suddenly jumped off the bed, and grabbed his junk (and scared the girls in the process). "And speaking of pressure, pressure's on! Chihiro, help me find the bathroom!"

"Wha- Why me?! Can't you hold it?"

The male looked at her with wide eyes and shook his furiously.

"Fine…" The pony-tailed turned to Io. "We'll be gone for a little while. Will you alright by yourself?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Go. I'll be fine," she said.

"Thank you!" Daichi ran to the hallway, bowed to the bob-haired girl and sprinted off into a random direction with Chihiro following closely behind. Io glanced at the door, then at her lap with a frown.

~HoP~

Chihiro and Daichi observed their surroundings. They stood in a hallway leading into another that had only railings. Beyond the railings was the large gold room with the clockwork gears. Despite being out in the open, no one saw them, and probably acknowledged them.

The boy doubled over and groaned loudly. "I don't know how much longer I can hold it…" he whimpered.

Chihiro resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and turned to her childhood friend. "Then, go there," she said, pointing at the ground by the railings.

"No!"

"Daichi, keep it down."

"Then don't suggest something like th-"

A click came from behind the male, and a door was pushed open. The girl grabbed him and pulled themselves tightly behind a corner. Many workers, including Makoto and Yamato, filed out the room. The two teens remained where they were and were still unnoticed. Makoto and Yamato stayed in the hall, in front of the door.

"What was that? Was there some sort of meeting going? Why haven't they spotted us yet?"

"Daichi, shush!"

They peaked around their corner, the male being more hesitant. They saw the pair speaking in not-so-hush voices.

"-but they're not bad kids. They can help us on our cause."

"Yes, but we cannot bring random civilians here simply for that reason. I feel that they would be more trouble we can afford due to their lacking. I won't let such incompetence to hinder JP's."

"But they helped seal Bai Suzhen. Shouldn't that be enough allowance for their assistance?"

"Yes. However, the app has much power, by far. People who are accustomed to power tend to abuse them. Wouldn't you agree, Sako?"

The woman paused. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Bring the sable-haired girl to me, and send the rest to a cell."

"Huh? But, she-"

"Is not like the other two in the least, from what I understand. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Chihiro and Daichi looked at each other, their eyes wide. The brunette's face was pale, and he felt an unusual sense of anger toward the Chief. "Did he say what I think he just says?" he asked.

"We gotta get Io," said the bunny-hooded girl.

They tore off into the direction they came from. They ran past through several corridors. To their dismay, the halls huge and looked too identical to each other. It caused them to panic more. Suddenly, the teens found themselves in a ginormous passageway. Daichi ran further ahead without stopping, while Chihiro slowed down to a stop. The girl panted, and scanned around her. The hall was empty and eerily quiet. Daichi was no longer ahead of her as he turned off somewhere.

She looked to her right, and saw someone. If Chihiro didn't know any better, she would've thought that the person was Yamato. The individual, however, was a girl like her. This girl wore a long black coat like Yamato. She seemed to wear gloves, as well. What differentiated her were the short, black dress and the yellow, thigh-high, high-heeled boots. Her presence was similar (if not the same) to the young chief's.

The girl continued to stare at Chihiro. The latter felt unnerved and very violated, and sprinted away before the former decided to do something.

The blue-eyed girl ran and ran until she spotted her schoolmates standing outside the room. Io saw her and called out to her.

"Where were you?!" said Daichi. "I already told Io and I was about to come get you."

"Glad you didn't. Let's get out of here. Someone saw us and they're mostly going to report us," said Chihiro.

"What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

Through the many corridors again, the three managed to find the elevator quick and left the Diet Building. The bunny-hooded girl looked back at the structure before moving further away with her friends.

Little they know that a camera was watching them…

~HoP~

The ending of this chapter is so horrible. I am so sorry for making you guys for something so crappy. And the first day is still not finished.


	5. Chapter 5

Fifth chapter, bitches! And hopefully the last part of day 1. Also, I did not expect so many people to follow and favorite this fan-fic (well, at least by the time this chapter's uploaded).

If Joe seems OOC, I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

~HoP~

The monitor was shut off as Yamato cleaned himself up and threw away the tissue. He reclined into his chair and stared at the black screen. He sat there for a few moments in silence, then said, "What is it that you want, Miyako?" Swiveling the chair, the youth stared at his mirror image.

"Nothing, dear brother," said the girl. She remained leaning against the doorway with her hands behind her back. "Though, I do wonder about you."

Yamato turned to his desk and started organizing a stack of papers. "There's nothing you need to know."

"Really?" Miyako moved from the doorway and stood behind him, placing her hands on his brood shoulder. She lowered to his ear. "Then, who's the girl? I asked Makoto, but she refused to answer, even when I… interrogated her."

"That girl is of no concern. She's just a civilian, so you don't need to inquire about her. Now, leave." The silver-haired youth stood up from the chair and grabbed his jacket.

The girl straightened herself and crossed her arms. "That's a lie."

Yamato slipped on the JP's jacket. "Miyako, I've told you already. Don't make me repeat myself." The young male snatched his gloves from the top of the desk. He put on the white gloves and fixed the black tie.

Miyako huffed. "Whatever." She left, leaving her brother in the silence.

~HoP~

The three teens collapsed to the ground after 30 minutes of running. Daichi grabbed one end of his scarf and wiped up the sweat on his forehead. Io leaned up against a light post and clutched her ankle. Chihiro glanced back to their trail, and saw no one.

"Thank God, we're out of there. Who knows what'll happen if we stayed?" said the male brunette. He peaked over at Io. Her face scrunched up a bit with sweat dripping from it. "Io, you alright?"

The girl gaped at him in surprise. She looked down to her lap, and said, "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" the male moved over to her. "I mean, your ankle's still sprained."

Chihiro watched the two brunettes. She noticed the growing blush on Io's cheek, as well as her rather relaxed body language. This was the first time she ever seen Daichi act so protective and grown up. "You two make a cute couple," she said, smirking.

That comment startled the brunettes, and they inched away from each other. Their faces grew redder the longer their schoolmate stared at them. This went on for a minute until their hand-held devices alerted. A message.

"What is this?" Daichi said, skimming through the text. "What the heck is demon-auctioning?"

Chihiro re-read it, and replied, "According to the mail, it's exactly what it's called. Well, except we pay with something called macca instead of yen."

"This can help us," said Io.

Daichi looked at her, baffled. "Are you kidding? We can't use this! It's more demons! From Nicaea! What if they attack us?!"

"I don't think they will. The first message from Nicaea said we're official demon tamers. If that's true, the ones we buy won't harm us."

"Yeah, Daichi. Plus we can get stronger demons. We'll need them to survive," said the black-haired girl.

"Ok, but-"

Chihiro stood up immediately, cutting off the male. "So, it's decided." She eyed him as he shared a look of annoyance.

_Sigh._ "Fine. We'll use the stupid auction. What do we do next?"

"We keep moving, and make sure not to get caught by demons."

"Yeah. Is it ok if we go to Ariake?" asked Io. The others turned to her. Her hands flew up, her face burning pink. "W-we don't have to. It's just an idea for a place to go to."

Chihiro and Daichi glanced at each other, and then back at the bob-haired girl.

"Sounds like a plan," said the black-haired girl with a grin. She plopped to the ground, and reclined onto it. "_Whew. _Let's rest first. My legs are jelly from all that running."

They stayed there for several minutes. Then, Chihiro stood up. "Ok. Time to go, guys."

Daichi scooted up next to Io, and wrapped his arm around her waist. The girl stiffened at the touch, but relaxed seconds later as the boy draped her arm over his shoulder. He rose up slowly, bringing Io up with him. She stumbled a few times, but managed not to fall over or do more damage to her ankle.

The trio travelled from their location to Kasumigaseki. In the time between, they saw empty streets, smashed-in windows and blood every now and then. They passed by Hibiya Park and straight into the concert hall. Daichi leaned against the back of the seats and loosened his yellow scarf. The girls placed themselves in the chairs.

"Thank _God_, we made it," said Daichi.

Io nodded and said, "And we haven't run into demons, either."

"That, too!"

Chihiro smiled at the two as they relaxed and continued chatting. She tuned them out and pulled out her phone, glimpsing at the demon auctioning app. There were plenty of demons to choose from and quite a lot of them were powerful. Unfortunately, those most of those powerful entities were too expensive to get, and sometimes too hideous.

'Ugh, who would want this?' Chihiro thought. Her face scrunched up as she looked at a purple beast with its stomach split open and teeth showing. She scrolled down until a rabbit with stitches appeared. "Aww. That's-"

"What is that?" The bunny-hooded girl glanced up at Daichi and found him pointing. She was about to turn to the direction, when within a moment, she felt a breeze and saw someone in a suit dragging the boy by the scarf toward the stage. "What the-" Before Chihiro stood from her seat, Io tore off after the man.

The man stopped on top of the stage, still gripping the scarf. The girls managed to catch up with the man. He released the boy's scarf, and the boy scrambled away from the man, holding his neck and wheezing. Io went to his side and gently rubbed his back.

"Man, that's some problem," the man said. He grinned when he saw Chihiro and Io. "Good, the girls came, too."

The brown-haired girl eyed the man warily, and said, "Who are you?"

Chihiro glared at the grinning man. "What the hell was that for? What are you, some kind of pervert?!" she said.

The man held up his hand. "Hey, now. I'm not a bad guy. I'm Yuzuru Akie, but just call me Joe," he said. He dropped his hands and tipped his striped hat.

Daichi, who finally got his breath back, scowled at the adult. "What's wrong with you?! You can't just go dragging people and then introduce yourself off like that, you… you crazy person!"

"What? There were these weird things came out of my phone and I ran over here. I was worried that they'll end up killing you, so I saved you," Joe said, the goofy smile still on his face. He bowed. "You're welcome."

The three teens gawked at Joe, then at each other. Fearing the worse, they glanced out onto the audience section. Sure enough, a handful of demons stared back at them, flashing their nasty, pointy teeth. Daichi hung his head. Io looked the man, then to the demons, then back at the man. Chihiro scrunched her face in annoyance.

Joe observed them, still grinning. "Yeah, we're in a tight spot."

"I can't believe you!" said Daichi. "Do you know-"

"Daichi," said Chihiro.

"What?"

"Shut up and get busy." The blue-eyed girl took out her phone, and filled the team and skills slots while the brunettes did the same. She looked over to the adult. "Stay here and don't move."

~HoP~ (I don't feel like writing a fight scene that I feel is pointless.)

Io hobbled over to a bench, and gently massaged her ankle. The heat of battle unfortunately made her forget about the sprained joint, so it throbbed when it was over. The bandages came loose and were even ripped in some area.

Chihiro frowned as she analyzed the condition of her outfit. The hem of the denim miniskirt was completely frayed and a chunk of it was missing on the left side. Her thigh-highs contained a few randomly distributed tears. And let's not forget the blood stains. Oddly enough, her hoodie was still in perfect condition.

Daichi sat across from Joe with his device out. He pointed out the functions of the app, as well as the demon contract and the meaning.

"Ah, so I can use demons, too, right?" the man said. He saluted to the male brunette. "Leave it to me."

"This is _not_ a joke, Joe. And it's not that simple, so pay attention," said the brown-eyed boy.

"I know. I'm all ears. So, what's with this dog thing?"

The boy sighed and smoothed out his hair, snapping his orange phone shut. "You're dead." He turned to the girls. "Someone help me here. Please."

"Hey, don't feel back about it. Besides, I'm gonna be you three."

"With us?" asked the bob-haired girl.

The black-haired girl stared at Joe. Then, she glanced over to the other teens. "Looks like we got a new friend."

"What? No! This guy's a total flake! He'll get us killed!"

"Aww, what not? C'mon, I'll tell something that'll help a lot," said Joe. For once, his smile dropped. "If you're heading east, don't. There are a bunch of demons in the area."

"Huh? But, we need to get to Ariake…"

"How do you know there's demons? Did you see them?"

"Yeah. I ran all the way from Harumi."

"There's so many of them, already?"

"Well, from what you said earlier, demons roam after killing their tamers, right? It's the most likely case." The man in the suit saw the crestfallen expressions. "Hey, now, no need to be depressed. That might not be the reason for those demons. Plus, you helped me. Thanks to you, I can use the app, so if they show up, I can defend myself."

"True… but-"

"'Kay, so back to the topic at hand, you going to Ariake, right? There's this road you can use called-"

"The Rainbow Bridge?" commented Chihiro. "Let's go, then."

"Okay," said Daichi. He froze, frowning and looked around. "It's south, right?"

~HoP~

This chapter used to be longer. I halved it because you waited long enough.


End file.
